Abstract

Xylanases are enzymes that degrade Xylan, a hemicellulose found in plant cell walls, into Xylose. They are a very important class of enzymes to be used in paper and pulp industry. Removal of lignin from paper and pulp by Chlorine and its compounds have caused a serious problem in the environment. Delignification of lignin by Xylanase is an alternative approach that is environmentally friendly. The present research was conducted to produce and characterize Xylanase from the fungus Aspergillus niger using agricultural wastes/byproducts like corn cobs, wheat bran and sugar cane bagasse with different concentrations. Submerged fermentation was carried out in 250ml Erlenmeyer flasks using Vogel’s medium at 37oC. Culture conditions like pH, temperature, incubation time and concentration of carbon sources were optimized to achieve maximum Xylanase production. Molecular weight was determined by SDS-PAGE to be 27.2KDa. It was revealed that the pH and thermal stability of Xylanase is very important for it to be used in industry.